Kernel Panic
by Hitorako
Summary: A new savior has arrived in Mainframe, but is the cure worse than the disease? Spoilers through season 4 (Daemon Rising).
1. Upheaval

_By way of introduction, I must first say that there are few things I hate more than a fanfic that ignores canon. However, I must explain the Rules of Life, as they pertain to myself and ReBoot: _

_1. Glitch-Bob is by far the best Bob.  
2. Season 3 rocked my socks, as did the Daemon Rising arc of Season 4 (though to a lesser degree).  
3. My Two Bobs, however, was pure unmitigated crap.  
4. Writing slash is good clean fun._

_In accordance with these rules, this fic takes place after Daemon Rising, but assumes the second Bob never stepped out of the portal. Because really, it would have been better that way._

_

* * *

_

The alleyway where it all began was more or less indistinguishable from any dark and seedy alleyway in Mainframe. Until a nanosecond ago, it had contained exactly two empty crates, one pile of assorted garbage, one foraging null, and one runaway binome, huddled beneath a threadbare blanket.

That binome was about to learn exactly how quickly things can change.

Two sprites now stood in the alley, coolly surveying their surroundings. The tall one touched a few buttons on the apparatus over his eyes and turned in a slow circle, scanning the alleyway. The terrified runaway stared in shock - the sprite was built like a tank, and looked like he would have had no problems with turning a binome or two to dust if they got in his way.

If he hadn't been so distracted by this, he would have noticed that now the alleyway contained, besides himself and the two sprites, exactly one full dumpster, one ladder, one military-issue duffel bag, and one fleeing null.

"All clear," said the tall sprite in a voice like two boulders grinding together.

The shorter one examined his hands. There was nothing unusual about them - they were exactly the kind of hands one would expect to see on a sprite no more than a few hours old. "This form is distressing," he said, and his voice sounded almost exactly like one would expect from a sprite no more than a few hours old, but somehow softer and wiser. "Though not entirely unexpected. It will take some time to achieve full operating capacity."

"Don't trouble yourself with it, sir." The tall one pressed another button on his headgear, and the bulk of it retracted into iteself. All that remained was a pair of green lenses over his eyes. He flexed his arms briefly, straightened his uniform, and picked up the military-issue duffel bag, swinging it effortlessly over his shoulder.  
"I'll handle everything until then."

"Very good, Kernel," said the child with one last look at his fingernails. "Have you determined our next objective?"

The Kernel pointed over the child's head. "The Principal Office is that way. On foot, we can reach it before daybreak."

"Lead the way." In another couple of nanoseconds, they were gone.

The runaway binome shivered under his blanket and contemplated going back home to his parents.

* * *

Bob held the colored metal sphere between his thumb and forefinger and peered at it with one eye. He shook it experimentally, and it made a soft chiming sound. He picked up the second one from the box on Phong's filing cabinet and held them both in one hand for a moment before twirling them together, the movement creating more muted tones.

Phong watched over steepled fingers as, two nanos later, they both fell from Bob's grip, causing the guardian to dive to catch them.

"My child," said Phong with a sigh, "did you come to talk, or to waste time?"

Bob flashed an embarrassed grin over his shoulder as he hurriedly returned the balls to their case. "Sorry, Phong," he said, sitting in the chair he'd been avoiding since he arrived. "I'm just not sure where to begin."

"I find the beginning to be a very good place."

"That...makes sense." Bob sighed, running his hand through his hair. "It's about Dot. And the engagement."

"Are you having doubts?"

"To put it mildly. It seems crazy, after all we've been through together, and I know that she loves me. But now things are different. I'm different." He fumbled helplessly with his words, struggling to string his sentences together into something coherent. "I'm not even me anymore. Not really."

Phong cocked his head. "I am not sure I understand."

"Okay, bad choice of words. I'm still me, but I'm not the Bob she fell in love with, or the Bob that fell in love with her. When I merged with Glitch, I became something else. It's hard to explain." Bob rubbed the bridge of his nose while Phong watched expectantly. "A keytool isn't just a tool - it's a sentient being. It has a personality, a life and memories of its own. When we merged, it's like another person moved into my head. I'm still the same sprite I always was, but now I'm Glitch, too - I've got memories of people I've never known, and feelings I can't explain or understand, even though I know exactly why I'm feeling them." Bob slumped in his chair, his posture that of a defeated man.

In the uncomfortable silence that followed, Phong said, "And this is affecting your feelings for Dot?"

"No!" Bob shot upgright in the chair, bristling, but relaxed again quickly. "Maybe. I'm not sure. I've never had to deal with this before, or even heard about it - merging with your keytool isn't exactly covered in Guardian 101. I've just got a lot to work out, and I don't want to drop this all on her until I figure it out a little better myself. I'm confused enough for the both of us right now."

"Do you love her?"

Bob's voice was desperate, pleading. "I don't know. Or, I do know, but it's complicated. I love her, but he...or I...this is so weird." He took a breath and started again. "Bob, the part of me that is Bob, loves her desperately. But Glitch...Glitch barely knows her. Sometimes I don't even know where Bob ends and Glitch begins. It feels like things are moving too fast, and at the same time, not fast enough."

Phong rose and crossed to the filing cabinet. "Perhaps you just need to take it slow," he said, examining the meditation balls that had fascinated Bob earlier. "Give all of you a chance to get to know her. Perhaps, in time, the part of you that is Glitch will come to feel the same as the rest of you."

"Yeah, maybe," said Bob softly.

"You do not sound very sure, my child."

"I'm not."

"Whether you are sure or not, one thing is certain. Dot loves you, and you owe it to her to tell her how you feel, even if you are confused. Perhaps she can even help you learn about yourself, if you give her the chance."

Gazing upwards, Bob took a deep breath. "You're right," he finally said, his voice calmer. He stood and turned to face his mentor. "Just like you always are. I'll go talk with her, and-"

His words cut off abruptly as he completed his turn, and finally had a look at Phong. Something was terribly wrong.

The aging sprite was perfectly still, staring up at the ceiling. A golden light surrounded him, illuminating him in warm tones. Electricity crackled in the air, making the back of Bob's neck tingle as he stood, shocked, unable to move or even to decide what he'd do if he could move.

Phong's eyes were wide with terror and surprise. Spurred into action, the guardian reached for him.

"Oh, dear," he said, and vanished. Only a faint glow remained, and even that disappeared shortly thereafter.


	2. Reunion

"Keep scanning every sector," Dot commanded from her terminal. "I want hear about anything unusual--increased energy readings, unknown sprites, strange weather patterns, anything! Speccy, have you finished the readings on Phong's office?" 

"Yes sir, ma'am! There was definitely some sort of energy surge, but we're having a hard time pinpointing the source."

"Very good, keep me informed." The acting command dot com of Mainframe rubbed the bridge of her nose and leaned over her terminal, pressing a few buttons to open up a vidwindow. Bob's face appeared in front of her. "Have you found anything?"

"Not yet," he replied, "but I've still got a couple of sectors to go. Don't worry, Dot, we'll find him."

"I know," she said, allowing herself a small smile. "Thanks, Bob."

"No problem, commander." The guardian gave her a cheerful mock-salute. "It's what I'm here for."

The vidwindow closed, and Dot slumped over her terminal, her shoulders drooping. They'd been searching for seconds without a clue, and it was beginning to look like they weren't going to get any sleep tonight. Nearly everyone in the Principal Office had been dragged out of bed for this emergency, and though they all followed orders well enough, the tension was palpable. They had nothing to go on--Dot wasn't sure they'd know what they were looking for even if it walked right into the Principal Office and introduced itself.

Tapping a few more buttons, she pulled up the report they'd compiled so far. It was depressingly short. The exact time of disappearance; glowing lights; untraceable energy buildup--it could have pointed to anything from a practical joke to an alien invasion.

"What's the news, Sugar?" Dot's head jerked up from her report on hearing the familiar drawl. Mouse sauntered into the command center with the air of someone who knew she could own the place if she wanted, but simply didn't have the time for all the fuss. She came to stand in front of Dot, then put her hands on her hips expectantly.

"Mouse, I'm so glad to see you!" Dot threw her arms around her old friend, which earned her a bear hug in return.

"We came as soon as we could."

They pulled apart after a moment, and Dot slipped her commander's face back into place. "Where is the Surfer, anyway?"

"He's out with the boys," Mouse said lightly, striding over to her old terminal. "We ran into Matrix on the way in, and he went rushing off to find...whatever it is you're looking for. You know how men are."

"Certain men, anyway."

"What did you do to my terminal?" Mouse cried out with horror. "It's...it's all..."

Dot smiled in spite of herself. "Clean?"

"Yeah, that's the word. I'll have that fixed in no time." Her fingers were already working the buttons, pulling up code to analyze with her hacker's mind. Dot felt better just seeing her there--it had really felt like something was missing without her sharp wit and colorful language to spice up even the worst situations.

Then a twinge of guilt wiped the smile off her face. The only reason Mouse was here at all was because Phong had disappeared, and now it was their job to find him. She turned back to her report, even though she knew it didn't have any answers.

She'd barely had time to reread the first paragraph when another vidwindow popped up in front of her. "Dot?" Her not-so-little brother's face looked down at her from the window. "Sectors three through six are clear. The Surfer's finishing up seven now, and then we'll head back."

"Understood, see you soon."

It wasn't long before they'd returned, and Bob followed shortly thereafter, reporting that AndrAIa was doing a second sweep of the docks, just in case anyone was trying to make a quiet getaway. Everyone's together again, Dot mused sadly as they all worked at their respective stations. I just wish it could be for happier reasons.

"Sir, ma'am!" Speccy pushed up his glasses and trotted over to Dot's terminal, a report clutched in his hand. "We've got something that might be helpful." Dot took the report and read it quietly while he explained for the benefit of the others. "The energy buildup from the office didn't seem to be coming from anywhere--the source seemed to be right there in the office. Since we haven't found anything there, we can only assume that it was on Phong himself."

"How does that help us?" growled Matrix.

"Well...it doesn't." Matrix glared at him, and he continued, a bit hastily. "However, after analyzing the residual radiation, it seems that the energy was polarized."

Matrix still looked puzzled, but Mouse's face lit up. "Perfect!" she shouted, and turned to her terminal, tapping away with dizzying speed. "So there's got to be a buildup of opposing energy somewhere, too. If we find that, we should find the source."

"And Phong," Dot added, with more than a little relief in her voice. "Good work, Speccy." She turned to address the staff with renewed determination. "Okay everyone, we know what we're looking for now! Let's focus our scans to find a matching energy signature, on the double!"

"That's more like it," said the renegade, settling back in his chair. "Just point me at the right coordinates, and I'll bring him back."

Bob rested his hand on Matrix's shoulder. "Take it easy, Enzo." Matrix bristled at the sound of the name, but Bob didn't seem to notice. "We're not even sure what we'll find there. Besides, with AndrAIa still out there, it might be quicker to send her."

"What's taking the lady so long?" Matrix turned to glare at Ray; he'd been so quiet that he had hardly noticed him there. The Surfer leaned against a wall, looking more relaxed than any of them felt. "She's been out a long time--maybe we should check on her."

"AndrAIa can take care of herself."

"I hate to say it, but Ray's right," Mouse said. "We don't know what's out there, but we know it's powerful--it's probably best to stick together until we find out what it is."

"Good thinking, you two." Dot touched a few buttons, and a vidwindow opened up with AndrAIa's face in it. "AndrAIa, have you found anything?"

"No, just a lot of water and boats--I'm on my way back right now."

"Good. We've got a lead, but we'll explain when you get here."

"Be there in a nano."

The vidwindow closed, and Matrix muttered something that sounded suspiciously like, "I told you so."

Dot looked across the room at Bob, and he shrugged, grinning slightly. She couldn't help but grin back. Together again. Disaster or no, there was something almost magical about having them all in that room, working together like a well-oiled machine (with the occasional one-eyed gun-toting sqeaky gear) to solve whatever problems life threw at them. It was right; it was the way things should be.

Since Daemon was defeated, they'd all gone their separate ways; Mouse and Ray were the only ones to actually leave Mainframe, but the rest had their own lives to live. Even Bob had grown a little distant. Dot didn't begrudge them for going in their own directions, but she still missed the old days, or rather, the good parts of the old days. The companionship and camraderie, not the fighting and struggle.

But that was the dilemma, after all. Without the fighting and struggle, they probably never would have found each other in the first place, much less become such a tight-knit group of friends.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the command center doors opening. AndrAIa walked in, but once the doors closed behind her, she stopped, leaning against the wall a few feet from Ray. She looked up, slightly embarrased at the curious looks she was getting. "Is anybody else noticing anything really weird happening?"

"What," Bob said, raising an eyebrow, "you mean like Phong turning all glowy and then disappearing?"

"No. I mean like this." She raised one hand in demonstration, nodding to her forearm.

Everything about her arm looked perfectly normal, except for a section of it maybe four inches long that seemed to be composed completely of static. Tiny white and black dots swirled furiously in the band of missing skin. The Surfer let out a low whistle, and Matrix leaped up from his chair and rushed to her side.

"It just started a few nanos ago," she said weakly. "It doesn't hurt or anything, but, um...it's a little scary, you know?"

Bob shook his head. "This is bad."

"Very bad," said Dot, putting her head in her hands.


End file.
